[Ramrod]

Interesting (long) article

for practical purposes, society can be divided into citizens and outlaws. In conflicts between them, the law should favour the citizens.

In the first half of the 20th century Britain had one of the freest societies ever created, and at the same time one with such extraordinarily little crime that the civility of British life was an international clichÃÃâ€*’©. The professionalism of the British police and the fairness of British courts set standards for the world. It was not a perfect system, but perfection is not what complex governmental systems can aspire to.

By any realistic measure, British criminal justice was superb. Its philosophical core was what I have been calling retributive justice, applied consistently and without apology. Isnââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t it time for its return?